XGB Software Overview - XG5000 Landscape - LS Electric XGB PLC from AutomationDirect

The LS Electric XGB PLC uses the XG5000 programming software. Let’s spend some time getting to know where we can find important information in the software landscape. When we first create, open, or upload a project, the software window looks like this. This area is the Project window. This window contains CPU settings, I/O settings, communication settings, and programs associated with the current project. If we look at the bottom of the project window, we see several tabs that will take us to new windows. There is the navigator window, which shows any variables that are part of tagged comments, the HS Link Window, which shows high-speed links that have been configured for this project, and the P2P window, which shows any peer-to-peer connections for the project. Below this window area there is the Function/FB area. This displays key information about function blocks used in the program, including most recently used, most frequently used, and favorite functions. To the lower right of the Function/FB window we have the Monitor window. This is where the programmer can read or write variable values to the PLC when online and in monitor mode. There are four tabs to allow the user to customize which variables are grouped together for programming, testing or troubleshooting. The information windows are located to the right of this window. There is a tab for results, which shows the results of project compares. There is a tab for program checks, which displays any message, warnings or errors found when compiling the project. There is a “Find” tab for searching for specific information, such as text or devices. There is a tab for communication, which displays information about the XG5000 software’s connection to the CPU. There is a tab for cross reference. This will allow us to view application details of all devices and variables used in programs. There is also a tab for used devices, which displays all the selected memory addresses used in a project, and finally there is a tab to check for duplicate coil use. This tab is very useful to make sure we aren’t writing to a variable from multiple locations in the project, potentially leading to unexpected program execution. To complete our tour around the screen let’s look at the small tabs on the upper right side. Here we have the system catalog, and the EDS information for the project. The system catalog shows a list of all hardware compatible with the XG5000 software, and the EDS information screen displays a list of all premade EDS files registered with the XG5000 software. When setting up an Ethernet/IP connection with a device in this list, the device’s EDS file can be dragged into the Ethernet/IP settings to create the configuration from this window. All these windows have an “auto-hide” button that will cause the window to collapse when not in use, but they will be displayed again when the mouse is placed over them. This is very useful when programming on a smaller screen such as a laptop, as it gives us more screen space for our programming window. Any of these windows, or the toolbars at the top of the screen, has the potential to be moved around the screen or even displayed on a separate monitor if the programmer has a multi-monitor setup. To do this, we simply drag the window from its location. The software then brings up suggested docking locations within the software, but it is also possible to have these windows floating separate from the software window. This allows for a high level of user customization for tool bar and window placement, within the software, as well as around the entire computer environment. If we ever make a mistake with our window location, or want to return the layout to the default, this can be done by going to “Window-> Reset Window Layout.”